Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to submit four requests to the Union government for the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils living in the state. Mr. Stalin asked the Union government to withdraw earlier administrative guidelines that prevented consideration of citizenship applications from Sri Lankan Tamils.
In his letter, Mr. Stalin sought to draw attention to what he called a matter of “deep humanitarian, constitutional and national importance concerning the Sri Lankan Tamils” who have sought refuge in India, mostly in Tamil Nadu, for more than four decades. He sought the issuance of an executive clarification waiving passport and visa requirements, where applicable, for the purposes of citizenship or long-term visa applications based on verified identity documents issued by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
The CM asked for delegation of relevant powers to designated district-level authorities to streamline processing and also asked the Union government to formally clarify the legal status of registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals who were sheltered in India till January 9, 2015. “These individuals have lived in India with dignity, discipline and deep cultural affinity for over four decades. Their coordination with the government is no longer supported and regulated.” the humanitarian context of their entry nor the state-sanctioned nature of their stay.
Since 1983, successive governments of Tamil Nadu, with the support and approval of the Union government, have provided shelter, livelihood, education and health care to Sri Lankan Tamils fleeing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, he said. As of February 15, around 89,000 individuals continued to reside in Tamil Nadu – a significant number of whom have lived in India for more than 30 years and nearly 40% of whom were born on Indian soil, Mr. Stalin pointed out.
“While the state has met its humanitarian obligations with commitment and compassion, these individuals remain in a state of prolonged legal uncertainty. Despite their decades of residence and integration into the social fabric, many continue to lack access to permanent legal solutions such as citizenship or long-term visa status,” Mr. Stalin said. The Tamil Nadu government constituted an advisory committee to conduct a detailed study of the condition of these Sri Lankan Tamils and make recommendations.
One of the recommendations was that a demographic assessment conducted by the committee showed that “several categories of Sri Lankan Tamils are eligible for legalization under existing legal frameworks – including those born in India before 30 June 1987, individuals born to one Indian parent, spouses of Indian citizens, persons of Indian descent with lineage documentation and those otherwise eligible for long-term visas”. Mr. Stalin pointed out, “I would like to state that the Citizenship Amendment Act 2003, which introduced the category of ‘illegal migrant’, had the unintended effect of backfiring on those who entered India under extraordinary humanitarian circumstances and with the tacit approval of the Union Government.
Administrative instructions issued in 1986 restricted the acceptance of citizenship applications from this community, creating barriers to resolution, Mr. Stalin argued. “However, recent policy developments – notably the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order 2025 – signal a constructive and humanitarian approach. Formal clarification that registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals who were protected until 9 January 2015 should not be treated as ‘illegal migrants’ would provide much-needed legal certainty.”
Judicial pronouncements, including the judgment of the Madras High Court in P. Ulaganathan Vs. Government of India (2019) also emphasized the need for a pragmatic and humanitarian interpretation of the law in such cases, Mr. Stalin pointed out.
Published – 15 Feb 2026 20:04 IST